Yielding to conservationists, eBay will ban ivory salesSource: NYTIn response to growing pressure from international law enforcement agencies and conservation groups, eBay, has announced that it would ban all commerce in ivory, including most heirlooms. A report, to be released today by the International Fund for Animal Welfare, analysed data gathered in a six-week survey that tracked more than 7,000 listings of wildlife or their feathers, teeth or pelts offered for sale on more than 185 websites in 11 countries. Nearly three-quarters of the items were elephant products, the report said.

Climate change linked to Indian tiger attacksSource: Reuters Wildlife experts say endangered tigers in the world's largest reserve are turning on humans because rising sea levels and coastal erosion are steadily shrinking the tigers' natural habitat. The Sundarban islands, an area of low-lying swamps on India's border with Bangladesh, has lost 28% of its habitat in the last 40 years. The number of tiger attacks on people has grown as tigers stray into villages for food.

Zoos warn Mad Max landscapes are probability caused by climate changeSource: TreehuggerThe president of the World Association of Zoos and Aquariums (WAZA) says the type of barren landscapes shown in Australia's famous Mad Max movies could become more frequent because of global warming. Professor McGregor Reid, who is also the chief executive officer of Chester Zoo, went on to say "These films are kind of prescient, they give us some kind of glimpse of one horrible future that we don't certainly want to be heading towards and it's the job of the entire world conservation community - including zoos and aquarium - to help address these issues."

Mercury threat to harbour sealsSource: PAAmid concerns that seal populations around Britain are declining comes this study from Belgian scientists claiming that mercury pollution may be to blame. Mercury pollution may be causing serious damage to the immune systems of North Sea harbour seals, a study has found. Laboratory tests showed that levels of mercury found in the blood of wild seals harmed T-lymphocytes, white blood cells that are key components of the immune system's arsenal.